Painful

I don't understand how supposedly intelligent people can be taken in by such morbid pretentiousness.
What disturbs me is not how miserable the movie is, but the number of rave reviews it received.
The movie, like so many of it's critics..... Totally self-important and Way Too Deep!
I wish I rather watched Rango

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32 out of 68 people found this review helpful.

A terrible waste of time, talent and money

After The Wrestler, Black Swan is a real disappointment. It is simple, obvious and stuffed to the brim with cliches. It has none of the tension it should have, and tries to do too much - there are essentially four story strands taking place at once, all in the most simplistic ways: 1. the domineering director, pushing the young dancer, with poor Vincent Cassel doing his best to activate a Pantomime baddie, 2. the controlling mommy who gave up her career for her precious daughter, and can't seem to stop interfering, 3. the predator-like sexy, experienced, naturally charismatic rival, flown in from San Francisco - how liberal - to be the symbol of professional threat and envy, and finally, 4. the obsessive dancer's anxious ways - she ain't been able to grow up and have a life like all the other girls, childhood continues as she practices her dancing, striving for perfection, waiting for her big break. All of these strands are instantly familiar and my outlines above are as revealing as Black Swan's exploration of these well-trodden lanes. The only good thing is it reminded me of other films that I now desperately want to watch again. The Conversation: About what happens when an obsession with your work leads to paranoia and fear. An American Werewolf in London: Funny, scary, sexy, weird and memorable. A real classic. Rosemary's Baby: The build-up in tension, as Rosemary's trust in her neighbours, her doctor ad her husband are tested to breaking point, is perfect.

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46 out of 81 people found this review helpful.

A Fantastic Movie

What a way to start off 2011. Black Swan is an intense film, and it toys with the audience's emotion all the way through. Example: At some point in the movie, I must have hated every one of the main characters, save Nina, the protagonist. But by it's triumphant finish, I had come to understand and emphasize with all of them. Black Swan left me speechless and paralyzed.

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45 out of 92 people found this review helpful.